A small town mystery with a side of grilled cheese? YES! This story takes readers on a wild ride through a bridal shower that ends unexpectedly with the death of the groom, and lots of madness and mayhem as Carly Hale, local grilled cheese guru and restaurant owner, finds herself embroiled in the dramatic investigation of the death of a high school friend’s fiancée.

I love the characters in this book, and I really love the grilled cheese shop and setting in this series. I am sad that there were not more scenes in this book that were in the grill cheese shop.

Definitely a good continuation of the Grilled Cheese shop series. This third installment was better than the second one in my opinion. Carly’s interview skills seem to have improved which is a relief. She was much less accusatory with the townspeople than she was in the second book.
I’m not invested in the romance aspect of this series as I think Ari is boring and he and Carly truly have zero chemistry. But the mystery part of this one was fun and I enjoyed the location of the murder being at a wedding shower. Looking forward to more food descriptions in the next book because honestly the grilled cheese sandwiches was what drew me into this series in the first place! Lol.

Great addition to the series! I didn’t trust anybody in this one, lots of red herrings but the clues stacked nicely and I was able to guess the killer right before the reveal. This series will make you hungry, between clues and fact finding Carly is making amazing recipes in her kitchen. Great book!

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Linda Reilly

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Cheddar Off Late Than Dead

By: Linda Reilly

Publish Date: 31 January 2023

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Mystery and Thrillers

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

Book Review:

I had a great time reading this book. I gave it 4 stars. This is the third book in a series, which is called A Grilled Cheese Mystery. What I like about this type of book is that you really don’t need to read the books in order to understand what is happening. This is the second book I have read in the series and I have been able to figure out the relationships between the characters. I haven’t read the first book yet, but plan on it soon.

In this book Carly agrees to cater a bridal shower. Everything is going great until the groom to be arrives and an argument ensues with his intended. Later the groom to be is found dead at the bottom of the stairs. It comes to find out that his drink was poisoned. Where did he get the drink and what kind of poison?

It is up to Carly to find out what happened because her friend is being accused of the murder. Someone is also missing and they don’t know where she is and the police are keeping it under wraps until more information is forth coming. Carly is also looking into this and she thinks that the two are related.

Can Carly figure out both cases without getting herself into trouble? You will have to read the book to find out.

This book has great friendship representation and I love how Carly’s partner tries to help her with encouragement but also worries about her and tries to change her mind a few times.

It's winter in Balsam Dell and Carly's former classmate Klarissa Taddeo is hosting her bridal shower at the historic Balsam Dell Inn. That is, until a double booking throws some mold in the cheese and leaves Klarissa scrambling. With the venue moved to the maid of honor's family mansion and Carly creating a new delicious treat it seems the group is going to pull off the shower without a hitch. That is, until a band of groomsmen crashes the event. Klarissa is furious with her fiancé and when a loud argument ensues, everyone is shocked by what they hear. When the fiancé is later found dead at the bottom of the stairs, Carly must put her nose to the rind and save Klarissa from being the main suspect.
This is another mystery full of intrigue, suspense, great characters and lots of cheese! I love Carly and how she solves mysteries using her intellect and observation skills. The cops in this series are not dumb or seen as incompetent. Carly works with them, although grudgingly at times, and always shows them respect. The plot had enough red herrings to confuse me enough that I was surprised by the outcome in the end. I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the honor of reading this advanced reader's copy. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I really enjoy this series and this one did not disappoint. In this one Carly is catering a bridal party. When the party is crashed and the groom is murdered she sets out to solve the crime. I really enjoy the characters, the small Vermont town setting and Grilled Cheese. The mystery was good and the solution made sense. I look for word to reading more in this series. Enjoy

In Linda Reilly’s Cheddar Late than Dead the 3rd installment in the Grilled Cheese Cozy Mystery series, this caper takes a big bite out of crime. It all started for Carly Hale, who owns a grilled cheese eatery in Balsam Dell, Vermont, when she was invited to host a wedding shower party for Klarissa Taddeo, one of her former high school friends, at the last minute. Though it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for her to conjure up more business for her grilled cheese sandwiches, when exactly she witnessed a shocking crime unexpectedly. When Klar’s fiance Tony was found dead, talk about total chaos at the scene. And Dawn Chapin, another former classmate of Carly’s and wedding planner, is the main suspect. Carly didn’t believe she had the gall to do it and did some sleuthing herself. Later, she discovered that the newest town manager, Gretel Engstom, had been missing for the past week. Were these two crimes connected in anyway? While she continued to run her business, she dug deeper to get close to the truth, until she became an unexpected victim and trapped with the culprit in the bitter end.

This delightful culinary cozy mystery was decadent as brie cheese and rich with twists and turns like chocolate. I cared for Carly, who was stuck into a twisted murder mystery, and had the hankering for solving the crimes. I also felt bad for Dawn and Klarissa, who had difficult mothers who controlled their lives. I adored Havarti, Carly’s dog. I loved the windswept small town of Balsam Dell in Vermont for the location. It had rich picturesque scenic settings that painted it so well. The theme of the story is that overzealous obsession will lead you nowhere when you’re sick with greed.

I rate this book, four of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping culinary cozies with plenty of non-stoppable action, lots of intense suspense, and incredible drama, Cheddar Late than Never is right up your alley with delicious recipes to make at home! This book is recommended for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Joann Carl, Joanne Pence, and Laura Childs.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🧀 food cozy mysteries
🧀 small town scenery
🧀 wacky characters


It gets me everytime 🤣 I love a pun title! There were a bunch of pun names and titles in this one, and it made me giggle everytime 🤪 I know we’re not supposed to judge a book based off its cover but I have to just say it: this cover is very enticing to me and I really wanted to read this book based off the cover 😬 Luckily in this story, the inside matched the outside and it was also a very enjoyable read 🤣
The thing I like most about cozy mysteries is they all have their own little “niche”, ie. bake shop mystery, book store mystery, library mystery etc… This allows them to all be slightly different and that’s what I appreciated about this one. It was set in a “Grilled Cheese Eatery” which I have never read a cozy in a grilled cheese shop 🤣 so that was very enjoyable and different for me. The premise of cozies are pretty much the same so it’s how the author does those little things to set their work apart, which is what happened here. A very entertaining read!
The only thing I DON’T LIKE about food cozy mysteries is I get so hungry reading them! 😩😩 I wanted every single food item mentioned in this book (and there were many! GRILLED CHEESE DONUTS 🤤 come on)
I have just discovered that this is actually the third book in the series!! so I am so excited to now go and read the rest of the series 💕

This one is my favorite of the series so far. But I do have to say reading a cozy mystery around a sandwich shop leaves this reader hungry.

Love this series and this one a great addition to the series itself. This had a great setting and was filled with fun free spirited characters. The story line kept at a good pace and made the reader’s want more

Carly Hale owns her established Carly's Grilled Cheese Eatery in Balsam Dell, Vermont. When her former classmates Klarissa and Dawn pop in one day, Carly finds herself drawn to catering Klarissa's bridal shower, in spite of her polite protests. After a very successful bridal shower, serving grilled cheese donuts for all the guests, and being privy to a LOT of drama, Carly makes her move to leave, but stumbles upon Tony Manous, the groom to be, lying dead at the foot of the staircase, and now Carly has to find the killer, and clear Klarissa's name, but with everyone a suspect, she has her work cut out for her.

This is actually the third in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries, but don't fret, I haven't read the first two and it still was easy to jump into. It has all the quaint and expected tropes of a cosy mystery. It's slow moving, but does a great job of setting the scene and giving a greater depth and background to all the important characters you meet. At times the dialogue is definitely more on the cringe side, especially in the interactions between the characters, but as I say, that's very familiar to the genre.

Carly was a really lovely protagonist, you can feel just how kind, empathetic and well-liked she is as an individual, with a propensity for mystery and solving murders within her local area, much to the police's chagrin. She's highly perceptive and intelligent, and it appears that even though the police would rather she didn't get involved, they do genuinely value her observational skills and ability to perceive what others generally overlook.

I did guess the murderer early on in the story, but it was just a cute, and wholesome little tale with fluffy companions, and quirky grilled chees concoctions abound.

The first two books in this series were excellent, and the third absolutely does not disappoint. I love this series of cozy mysteries set in a grilled cheese shop. Like the first two books, Carly finds herself accidentally embroiled in a murder, with the best of intentions of proving someone's innocence. Even when the detective tells her to back off, she can't help herself.

I did wish we had more of Suzanne and Grant - it feels like they (especially Suzanne) were relegated to very minor background characters, but all in all a great third book and I look forward to many more!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Bridezilla Klarissa enlists (orders?) grilled cheese restaurant owner Carly to be the last minute catering replacement for her over the top bridal shower. Personally I would have run, but Carly carries on only to find herself in the middle of another murder when the groom is found poisoned and very dead at the bottom of a staircase. I do like how the series is developing. While the supporting characters in this particular book are challenging, I am excited to see how the series develops.

Cheddar Late Than Dead is Linda Reilly's third book in the Grilled Cheese Eatery Mysteries. In this installment, Carly is persuaded to cater the bridal shower of one of her high school classmates. Unfortunately, the groom shows up during the bridal shower and ultimately ends up dead from a fall down a staircase. Carly is drawn in to the investigation when the maid of honor falls under suspicion and asks for help.

This series a unique setting and protagonist and the author has done an excellent job of creating multidimensional characters whose intertwined past and present in town enriches the overall storyline and captures the reader's interest. Within the plotline, the author has created a number of reasonable suspects who each have their own motive in this story and through unusual twists and red herrings the reader is kept guessing until the end as to the ultimate culprit and motive, which also ends up resolving another death from many years before.

I look forward to many more installments in this series as I can envision numerous cases in Carly's future as she continues to grow her business and her various relationships deepen and grow.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press and am leaving this review voluntarily.

The 3rd grilled cheese shop is fantastic! I mean it's a GOURMET GRILLED CHEESE shop...enough said. Oh wait YUM-O!
Vermont is a perfect place for a cozy!
I would recommend this series to any cozy fan.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank netgalley, the author Linda Reilly, and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

Cheddar Late Than Dead by Linda Reilly is book three in a series. Boo. I didn't know that it was a series but I still think I figured whos who and all that. Plus, cheese references are always great, ha!

I don't often read cozy mysteries but once in awhile, they are pretty refreshing! Cheddar Late Than Dead was that refreshing read I needed!

It's wintertime and shortly after the holidays, Carly's former classmate, Klarissa, is hosting a big fancy bridal shower at the historical Balsam Dell Inn. But a double-booking leaves Klarissa scrambling and eventually hosting the shindig at the maid-of-honor's mansion. But then the rowdy groomsmen crash the shower and later, Klarissa's groom-to-be is found dead! In this case, it's not always the husband, but could it be the bride-to be?

Fun, quick read!

I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

This is one series that continues to impress. With a carefully crafted plot, loveable characters, and a unique murder mystery, author Linda Reilly layers Cheddar Late than Dead with the perfect ingredients for a cozy mystery.

Carly Hale is busy at work at the Grilled Cheese Eatery when two of her former classmates, Klarissa Taddeo and Dawn Chapin, arrive, upset over the news that the Balsam Dell Inn double booked Klarissa’s bridal shower and now cannot host the event. Dawn proposes a solution: she will host the event at her family home if Carly caters the event. Even though she has not seen Klarissa and Dawn since high school, Carly reluctantly agrees to provide donut grilled cheese and other delectables for the occasion. (And if you’re curious, the recipes in the back sound delicious.) The event appears to be going smoothly when Tony, the groom-to-be, angrily crashes the party. Soon after, he is dead, falling victim to poisoning. Before she knows it, Carly is swept up into an investigation that becomes more complicated – and potentially deadly – at every turn.

The mystery itself is quite clever, almost a locked room mystery with an easily identifiable cast of suspects. An intriguing subplot involving a missing person ties into the mystery, and the clues and red herrings are peppered throughout in a way that keeps the tension high. The characters are beginning to feel like family. Carly is intelligent, practical, and caring. The way she gets roped into catering the bridal shower is highly relatable. Her employee, Grant, is one of my favorites. Hopefully we will see even more of him in upcoming books. The mystery surrounding new employee Valerie is brought to a satisfying resolution. And it’s heartening to see that Carly and her boyfriend, Ari Mitchell, are headed the right direction.

While Cheddar Late than Dead is the third book in the series, it can also be read as a standalone. However, the first two books are so good, that it would be a shame to skip them. I am looking forward to reading the next installment of this delightful series.

Note: I received an ARC of Cheddar Late than Dead from NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. The above is my honest review.